The Institute for Employment and Vocational Training has just published the unemployment data of the Employment Centres of Portugal pertaining to the month of February.
Data shows that the increase in the number of unemployed in the country was of 17.7% in relation to February of 2008 and of 4.8% in relation to January of 2008.
It also shows that the Azores had the lowest increase of unemployment, 15.5% in relation to February of 2008 and 0.9% in relation to the month of January 2008, which amounts to an increase of 43 unemployed persons.
Data relating to Madeira island, which has the same population of the Azores, shows that it has more than twice the number of unemployed (10.789 unemployed in Madeira and 4.928 unemployed in the Azores), showing an increase of 22.8%.
In February there were 469.299 unemployed in Portugal, 10.789 of which in Madeira Island and 4.928 in the Azores.